Thursday, November 6, 2008

I use honey more often over sugar in my baking,because it's natural and doesn't reekhavoc on your insulin levels like sugar can. I found this article a long time ago on http://www.thefamilyhomestead/ and kept it to read when I need to.

A Little About Honey

If you are trying to use less refined white sugar in your diet then you may want to consider using honey.

It is one of the oldest forms of sweetener and is the only truly natural sweetener that needs no other processing done to it, other than removing it from the hives.

Honey contains some B vitamins as well as minerals. It is easily digested and has fewer calories than sugar for an equal amount of sweetening power.

When purchasing honey be sure to buy it raw. Raw honey has not been heat treated to kill off all the nutritionally good things. If you suffer from allergies to pollen than consuming raw honey from a local source can help to build immunities to those local pollens.

Honey that crystallizes is normal and is a good sign that the honey has not been processed. If your honey crystallizes simply set the container in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes and it will thin out again.

When you are using honey for baking it helps to measure oils first and then measure the honey in the same container. This helps the honey not stick and slide out easily.

You can use your favorite recipes and replace the honey with sugar. I would suggest using a ½ cup to ¾ cup honey for every cup of sugar called for. Also you will need to reduce the amount of liquid in your recipe by about ¼ cup.

In a medium bowl combine honey, orange juice, butter, eggs and vanilla. Mix this very well. In a smaller bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well. Put the dry mixture into the liquid and mix until just moistened. Fill muffin cups about 2/3rd’s full. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until nice and golden.